Ridge (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood Book 4) Read online

  Pulling into the garage, Maggie killed the engine and reached for the button to lower the door, but movement from the corner of her eye stopped her dead in her tracks. Somebody was sneaking around her property. Couldn’t be Henry. She’d talked to him earlier that morning, and he’d asked for the day off. Felicia, her housekeeper, had already come and gone.

  Reaching across the seat, she wrapped her hand around the shotgun and stepped out of the garage. Scowling at the thought of another trespasser, she skirted the perimeter of the house, eyes peeled for any sign of movement.

  Nothing.

  Was her imagination playing tricks on her? She got antsy ever since she’d caught a couple of up-to-no-good squatters on the back forty of her property, and chased them off. Why couldn’t people mind their own business, and keep their noses out of hers?

  There it was again. Somebody crept around the edge of her patio, although creeping might not be the best word. He really didn’t slink or even try to hide. The way he walked reminded her of one of the bigger jungle cats. A lion or maybe a panther, all smooth, controlled muscle, coiled and ready to pounce.

  With a moue of disgust, she flattened her back against the Texas limestone of her home and watched. Waited. And wondered what game the stranger was up to. He was far enough away she couldn’t get a good look at his face, but the rest of him was a feast of sensuality. From his predatory walk to his dark hair, he exuded an almost feral nature. A wildness she’d never imagined being attracted to—until now.

  His gaze seemed to miss nothing, studying not only the house, but the grounds. The flowering rose bushes she’d lovingly planted so long ago, when she’d first gotten married and life had been simpler. In hindsight, she could recognize the irony of planting roses. Her life had been nothing but prickly thorns for so long, she’d all but forgotten there was beauty to go along with the pain.

  Some instinct must have alerted him, though she hadn’t moved a muscle, because he stopped, frozen in place. He spread his hands out to his sides, palms forward, showing them to be empty. She knew he hadn’t spotted her yet, but something made him realize he wasn’t alone.

  Lifting the shotgun, she stepped out into the open, and pointed it straight at him.

  Never wincing.

  Never flinching.

  “I don’t know who you are, and I really don’t care. I’ve only got one thing to say.” She hefted the gun higher, pointing it directly at his head. “Get off my property.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  It took every ounce of strength Ridge had to refrain from smiling. Dang, but his mark was cute. The gun was a nice touch, and she looked like she knew how to use it. Raising his hands slowly up to shoulder height, he kept his palms facing outward. No need to spook her. Her finger was way too close to the trigger.

  “Ms. White?”

  Her eyes narrowed at his use of her name. He took in every inch of her, from head to toe. Mary Margaret was dressed like a tomboy in jeans, a T-shirt that didn’t hide a single one of her delicious curves, and a hunter’s vest. A battered straw hat shaded a portion of her face, but what he could see matched the photo he carried in his wallet. Something about her called to him in a way no other woman ever had. He wanted to see her smile, to watch her eyes light up with desire. Taste her lips to see if they were as sweet as they appeared.

  “I ain’t buying whatever you’re selling, Bub, so get back in your car and skedaddle.”

  Skedaddle?

  “Alrighty. Guess I’ll be on my way. Tell Henry I came by, and you kicked me off the property.” He waited—one beat, two—and slowly lowered his hands as he turned, pretending he was going to leave. He made it all the way to four steps before she cracked.

  “Wait.”

  Remaining faced away from her, he stopped. Let her make the first move now. Retain the position of power. He hoped her curiosity would overcome her initial reticence to discover why he’d shown up on her property, invaded her space. His cover story would hold—it always had, because for the most part, it was the truth. Sticking with the actual facts made it easier to maintain when deep undercover. He simply had to remember Mary Margaret White was his target, a suspect like any other suspect, no matter how pretty the outside package.

  “You know Henry?”

  Ridge turned around and faced Mary Margaret. His intel knew her friends called her Maggie, but he wasn’t about to slip that little detail yet. One step at a time. Right now he had to bait the hook, get his little fishy caught and reeled in.

  “We’ve known each other for several years. As a matter of fact, he’s the one who called me. Asked me to meet him here.”

  “He’s never mentioned you.” The gun lowered, now pointed toward the ground, and he breathed a little easier. He didn’t think she’d shoot him by accident. Nope, he got the impression she knew her way around guns, and if she did shoot him, it’d be deliberate and she wouldn’t miss.

  “Does Henry tell you about all his friends? Funny, he never really mentioned you at all. Except that he worked with you. Security.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Which happens to be my area of expertise.” Ridge motioned toward his shirt pocket, and after a few seconds, she nodded. Using two fingers, he pulled free a business card and held it out. “Henry called and asked me to come take a look around, see where things could be improved. Beef up what’s in place, and discuss adding or upgrading your current situation.”

  She studied the card, before looking up and meeting his steady gaze. “Ridge Boudreau. Any relation to those Boudreaus over in Shiloh Springs?”

  Ridge grinned at the way she said those Boudreaus. Not in a derogatory way, but more in a those-people-are-everywhere kind of way. Man, his momma would love Mary Margaret.

  “Yes.” Let her make what she would of his monosyllabic answer.

  “I’m pretty sure Henry has the security around my home and property up-to-date. I doubt there’s much you can do, Mr. Boudreau. Thanks, but no thanks.”

  Ridge raised his brow at her dismissal, though he wasn’t surprised. Given the background the DEA’s computer experts uncovered on Miss Mary Margaret—Maggie to her friends—White, she was justified in being leery of strangers. Hence the shotgun greeting.

  “Your choice. But you might want to let Henry know you’ve got about a half dozen issues with the front gate and fencing at the entrance. Oh, and the sensors on your ground floor windows are inadequate. Those motion detectors could be disabled by a child. Egress through your kitchen is laughably inadequate. Thanks for your time, Ms. White.”

  “What? Wait a minute, Mr. Boudreau, I’ll have you know I have top-of-the-line security, which is upgraded several times every year.” The indignation written on her face was priceless, and exactly the response he’d expected. He’d sown the seed of doubt. Now he needed to play it cool, and let her take the initiative.

  Come on, little fishy, chomp on the hook, and I’m gonna reel you in.

  “I’m sure what you have is adequate for most homes. But are you looking for adequate? Henry told me you needed the best protection money could buy, and trust me when I tell you, right now what you’ve got wouldn’t stop a determined person gaining access. For a professional? They’d barely break a sweat.”

  Ridge could practically see the wheels turning in her head, could almost predict what her next move would be—in fact, he was counting on it. He’d been doing this for a long time, though he didn’t usually have to pull out the big guns, but he would. Rafe owed him a favor, and Ridge didn’t have a problem calling it in.

  “Ms. White, feel free to call the sheriff of Shiloh Springs. He can verify that I’m not only who I say, but that my credentials are legitimate. Although he might be a tad biased, since he’s my brother. I can also give you the number for FBI Special Agent in Charge Derrick Williamson of the Austin office. I’ve worked with him on security issues in the past, and he can also verify my identity and my company’s credentials.”

  “I’ll do that, Mr. Boudreau.”
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br />   He nodded and turned to leave, but couldn’t resist one parting shot. “Give my best to Henry. Give me a call if you change your mind, and want me to take a deeper look at your security, Ms. White.”

  Without another word, he walked down the long drive and back toward the front gate. He knew she watched every step until he was out of sight of the house, and he finally relaxed and gave in to the laughter he’d suppressed. He’d been pleasantly surprised with Mary Margaret, maybe even a little shocked. She lived alone with only one security person and a housekeeper who came in for a couple hours every day. The rest of the time she stayed isolated on her ranch. Not an easy task for somebody who was filthy rich. He had expected to find a shy, timid woman who jumped at every shadow. Instead he found a firecracker, willing to challenge him on every level. And he found himself enchanted.

  Climbing behind the wheel of his truck, he profoundly hoped she’d didn’t turn out to be the mastermind behind one of the biggest drug-running operations in Central Texas.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Think she bought it?”

  “Daniel, I know what I’m doing. Besides, I didn’t lie. There really are several deficiencies in her security system. Duvall is doing a piss-poor job, if what she’s got is any indication of his level of expertise.”

  Ridge sipped at his coffee. He’d left Mary Margaret’s property and drove to the closest town, giving her some much needed time to call and verify his ID and his credentials. Rafe had already called back, saying she’d given him the fifth degree, checking out his story. Good thing he’d thought to give Rafe a heads-up yesterday. Once again, his instincts were proven correct. Now he wondered if she’d call Austin and grill Williamson about him.

  “Just remember, Boudreau, we need you on that property ASAP. You need to find that route, and we need it closed now. Our informant called two hours ago. There’s going to be another run going through in a week. So, unless we can catch them in the act, who knows how long we’ll have to wait for the next shipment.”

  “Daniel, she’s going to take the bait. I suspect I’ll hear from her before the day is over. You’ve got Henry ready to play his part, right? Because if he cracks and spills the story to her, it’s over before we even get started.”

  “He’s agreed. Swears there’s no way anybody is running drugs across that property, and I believe he believes it. But if the security is as bad as you think, this guy might not even know what he’s looking at when it’s right under his nose.”

  “Think he’ll keep the story straight?”

  “We’ve gone over it a dozen times. He’s gonna call her, tell her he’s got a family emergency and has to go out of town for a little while. Once that’s done, he’s got a ticket to Maui on Uncle Sam’s dime, as long as he keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t contact Ms. White until the case is over.”

  “Do you trust him not to contact her? I got the impression he hangs around a lot.”

  “We’ve got somebody that’ll be watching him twenty-four seven until we determine if Javier Escondido’s pipeline is broken, and he’s behind bars. Nobody wants to put this guy away more than me. I’m not taking any chances that Duvall will screw things up.”

  “She’ll call. Probably sooner rather than later. I could see the wheels turning before I left, questioning where they’d screwed up. Though, I’ve got to admit, they did a lot of stuff right. There are a couple of places I probably couldn’t access, not without a lot of time and specialized equipment.”

  “Always wondered why you decided to join the DEA with your background being security work. You’ve worked with some pretty highly placed clientele, and your references are topnotch. Ever gonna tell me?”

  Ridge sighed. He knew Daniel had questions, though he’d been pretty good about not voicing them. Until now. “Maybe when this pipeline is shut down, we’ll go out, have a few beers, and I’ll tell you my sob story. Deal?”

  “I’m gonna hold you to it, Boudreau. Now, I’ve got to go. Apparently, Ms. White is calling Henry.”

  Ridge couldn’t hold back his grin. “Told ya.”

  “Jackass. Talk to you later.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Ridge took another sip of coffee.

  “It shouldn’t be long now.”

  Maggie dialed Henry’s number, listening to the ringing and thinking about the tall, handsome stranger who’d shown up on her property. Something about him intrigued her. He didn’t look like any security expert she’d ever seen. At a guess, she’d have pegged him as the criminal type, not the other way around.

  His long dark hair had reached just past his shoulders, though he’d pulled it back into a low ponytail tied at his nape. It was dark, a rich, deep brown like strong coffee, though there were hints of blue-black in there, too. What had surprised her, though, was the startling blue of his piercing eyes. The combination of dark hair and light-colored eyes had always been her kryptonite. There was something about the startling contrast that made her heart skip a beat, but she’d never had a visceral reaction like she had with Ridge Boudreau. The second she set eyes on him, her heartbeat raced. Her breath caught in her chest until she felt lightheaded. An instantaneous attraction unlike anything she’d ever felt swept through her, and she’d wanted nothing more than to hear his voice. Touch his skin. Run her fingers through his shiny hair, see if it felt soft beneath her touch.

  Henry answered on the fifth ring, right before it would have clicked over to voice mail. “Hey, Maggie.”

  “Listen, I need to ask you something. I—”

  “Wait, Maggie, I need to tell you something.”

  Uh-oh. She didn’t like the sound of that. There was something in his tone that immediately caused the little hairs on her arms to stand straight up. Whatever he had to say, it wasn’t good news, of that she was sure.

  “Okay, shoot.”

  “I have to go out of town for a little while. Not sure how long it’s gonna be, and I hate leaving you in the lurch. I feel really bad, but there’s a family situation and I gotta deal with it. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course I do. Anything I can do to help? Do you need anything? You know all you have to do is ask and it’s yours.”

  She heard a soft sigh through the phone. “You’re the best, Maggie. No, there’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m sure I can get things handled and I’ll be back before you know it. It’s just—I’m leaving today—this afternoon, as a matter of fact. But, I forgot to tell you, I made a call to a buddy. Name’s Ridge Boudreau. He owns a security company, Sentinel Guardians, and trust me, he’s really good at what he does. I asked him to come by your place, and take a look at the security we’ve got installed, and see if there are any upgrades we need to put into place. I meant to discuss it with you, but then I got called away, and now…”

  “Mr. Boudreau already showed up, Henry. I’m afraid I wasn’t at my most welcoming.” She chuckled. “I pulled my Remington on him.”

  “You what?”

  “The computer showed another drone doing a flyby, so I shot it down. Figured I’d see if we could determine where they’re coming from. I think we both know what they’re looking for. Anyway, I was on my way back to the house and I saw this stranger sneaking around, and I pulled my shotgun and demanded he get off my property.”

  Henry laughed. “I bet he loved that. And I doubt he was sneaking around, or you’d have never seen him.”

  “He left his card, and told me to check out his references. I talked to his brother, Rafe, who’s the sheriff in Shiloh Springs. Gave him a glowing recommendation as being a law-abiding citizen and that his security services are legit. Course, him being his brother, I’m not sure how much stock I can put in that particular endorsement.”

  “He’s definitely legit. I know he’s done some government work.”

  “Yeah, he told me to contact the FBI office in Austin, said they’d attest to his qualifications.”

  “You know, Maggie, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Ridge to be there while I’m out of town.
I know I’d feel better having somebody there with you, keeping an eye on things while I’m gone. He could fix any holes in our security, and be an unofficial bodyguard until I get back. Kill two birds kinda thing.”

  “I don’t need a bodyguard. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

  “Until the threats stop?”

  “Jerk.” She raked a hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “It’s not a good time for a stranger to be here, Henry. We’re gonna have company in a couple of days, and I can’t afford to have anybody sneaking around or snooping into my business. You know that.”

  “Figure out a way to keep Ridge occupied when you need him out of your hair. Trust me, Maggie, let him stay.”

  She leaned back against the kitchen barstool, and glanced through the huge window over the sink, loving the blue of the sky framed within its white border. Having Ridge around every day? It could be the biggest mistake of her life. But it also might be the chance to figure out if this instantaneous attraction between them could be…more.

  “Alright. But if he steps one inch out of line, he’s out on his behind.”

  “Fair enough. Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Thanks, Henry. Don’t forget to let me know if there’s anything I can do. Bye.”

  Maggie disconnected the call, and leaned against the marble peninsula, her chin in her hand, wondering if she’d lost her ever-loving mind. Had she really just agreed to have a total stranger move into her house—her sanctuary? Ridge seemed a little too good to be true, and Maggie wasn’t about to ignore her gut. She’d learned the hard way to never doubt her instincts, especially about men. Even with Henry’s recommendation, she wanted a little more reassurance.